Ahead of cabinet expansion, Sukhu keeps home, finance

Himachal Pradesh Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has allocated portfolios to newly elected Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri, according to an official notification.

Agnihotri will be in charge of Jal Shakti, transport, and language, arts and culture departments while Chief Minister Sukhu has kept with himself finance, general administration, home, planning, personnel and other portfolios which have not been allotted to any minister, the notification stated on Tuesday.

Sukhu and all other Congress MLAs are slated to join party leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan on Friday and this is expected to delay the expansion of the state's new cabinet.

Sukhu had on Monday said the cabinet would be expanded in consultation with the Congress high command and it would be a mix of professionals, youth and representatives from all sections.

However, it will be a challenge to strike a balance between regions, castes and factions.

The Congress has won 40 out of 68 assembly seats, including 10 in Kangra, seven in Shimla, four each in Una, Solan, and Hamirpur, three in Sirmaur, two each in Chamba and Kullu, and one each in Mandi, Bilaspur, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti district.

All the regions have to be given adequate representation.

While those who were ministers when the Congress was in power in the state last time around are asserting their rights, a large number of second and third-time MLAs too are aspiring for a ministerial berth.

Factions led by Sukhu and state Congress chief Pratibha Singh too are seeking cabinet posts for their supporters and the party will have to come up with a formula to reconcile conflicting claims.